Mar 19, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Multiwall shipping sack kraft paper prices have been flat at around $848/ton for the past seven months, but soon may drop by $20-$25 in face of weak demand, according to buyers polled by Purchasdingdata.com and news reports in the Pulp & Paper Week newsletter. Shipments of unbleached kraft paper dropped 32.5% in January to 90 thousand tons following a 15.6% year over year decline in the 4Q 2008, according to American Forest and Paper Association statistics. Market reports say there has been a major drop in buying with only 5% of the buyers polled this month expecting to increase bookings in the near future. Trade publications say that suppliers have been announcing reduced pricing to boost orders in a soft market. That may be why most (84%) of the buyers surveyed now expect to see paper prices slide on actual transactions through June. This isn't just a North American phenomenon, as there are news service reports of price decreases this quarter for both bleached and unbleached sack kraft paper in major European markets.